soccer, polo, and waterfire

saturday was quite the day.

we started off with our soccer game. which was awesome, because we won 1-0!  i played right mid-fielder and it is my new favorite position.  i am way more productive on the right side because i am more confident in crossing the ball with my right foot rather than my left. i didn't score, but i nutmegged three people and had more good plays than bad, so that was pretty sweet.  jeremy played great and one of his passes led to the only goal we scored so he's a total rockstar.  playing soccer with jeremy is one of my favorite things. can we please do this forever?!

after our soccer game, we gathered ourselves together and drove to portsmouth, rhode island for a polo match... because why not?!  in one word, the whole experience was fascinating. it was soooo hi-so (thailand's term for high-society or high class, riley taught me).  the crowd was almost as entertaining as the actual polo match. there were many fancy hats, wine glasses, sun dresses, cheese platters, suit coats with shorts, and pastel khaki.  it was a hoot.  i attempted to join in with my fedora, plastic water bottle, and bag of popcorn.  

luckily, amber and ryan got there early enough to score front row lawn seats for the whole event.  we had no idea what polo was, but we had wikipedia on hand and the british announcer to explain the rules.  turns out polo has been around FOREVER.  the first recorded game was in 600 BC.  so.... we figured Christ must have attended a game or two in his day.

we learned that polo has six 7-minute chapters, polo must be played right-handed, geometry is important, and that the horses are called ponies. we also learned that after the first set of three chapters (at half-time), all the spectators go onto the field to fix the divots. everyone was very excited about it.  confession: we just walked around the field and then got some dinner from the vendors, without fixing any divots.

these gentlemen are playing bocce ball while waiting for the second half to start.

can you spot jeremy (above) in his stripes?  we had perfect seats, close to all of the action. we saw the local newport team beat dallas.  woot woot!  chip and jk were the star players.  the announcer loved chip (maroon number 3), it was hilarious.  after the game, spectators line the sides of the field to give high-fives to all of the players.  we of course followed suit.

i loved it and would totally go again.  it was a perfect summer activity.  people had coolers and lawn games and were out enjoying the day with their families.  always a nice thing to see.  polo, i could totally get into you.  let's hang out again sometime.

after the polo fun, we hopped on over to providence to witness waterfire.  (jeremy thought he was pretty funny with his jacket around his waist.  i think he's pretty funny, too.) waterfire was quite the event.  there were tons of booths from local artists and food vendors selling their goods.  i got a fortune from a slow-moving, statuesque pirate, we watched the bonfires grow on the river, and jeremy bought a giant cookie.

we also walked around the river, listened to the live music, and donated a dollar to a boy that was a genius at the yo-yo.  i am so glad we experienced waterfire. downtown providence is beautiful. i totally want to come back for a gondola ride on the river (hint, hint, jeremy).  waterfire was a great way to end such fun-filled day.  rhode island you were good to us.  thanks for the party.